Straw-stacker



(No Model.)

. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. B. BARTHOLOMEW. 1

. STRAW STACKER.

Patented Feb. Z5, 1896.

Invent oq -(N0 Model.) 2 Sheets-'Sheet 2..

J. B. BARTHOLOMBW. STRAW STAGKER.' No. 555,066. Patented Peb. 25,1896.

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WrrnessEsshvennm yf-fsm A j, j l @www y ff NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. BARTHOLOMEVV, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

ST RAW-STACKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,066, dated February25, 1896.

Original application filed April 2, 1894, Serial No. 506,133. Dividedand this application filed July l0, 1895. Serial No. 555,567. (Nomodel.)

T0 all whom. t Wray concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. BARTHoLoMEw, a citizen of the United States,residing at Peoria, inthe county of Peoria and State of Illinois, haveinvented an Improvement in Straw- Stackers, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to that style of foldable straw stackers in whichthe stackerframe is made in two or more sections hinged to each otherand, as a whole, to a suitable support, the said sections beingsupported in their extended or working position by a rope or itsequivalent and the sections of the stacker being capable of folding andunfolding without requiring at the same time a change in the length ofthe supporting-rope, and hence a winding or unwinding of the same uponthe drum or other device to which the inner end is usually secured.

The invention has for its object to simplify and improve straw-stackersof the kind above referred to; and it consists of the novel arrangementsand combinations of parts which I will proceed to describe.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated sufficient of astraw-stacker to illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevationof a straw-stacker embodying my improvements, it being illustrated inits working position by full lines and in the position occupied whilebeing folded by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the sameparts illustrated in Fig. l, the full lines illustrating the parts inthe position occupied when the machine is stored or in transit, and thedotted lines a position occupied by the parts before being moved intofinal folding position. Fig. 3 indicates a side elevation of a somewhatdifferent form or embodiment of the invention.

In the said drawings, 10 indicates the supporting-frame to which theinner end of the straw-stacker is secured, as shown,such frame being therear end of a thrashing and separating machine, though the stacker maybe mounted upon an independent frame or support when this is founddesirable.

The frame of the stacker is shown as consisting of two parts orsections-an inner section, l2, which is hinged at 2G to thesupportpermit a breaking of the hinge-joint in a.

downward direction, and hence a folding of the frame-sectionsrelati veto each other whenever proper power is applied for this purpose. Theseparts 12 and 13 constitute a frame for supporting an endless carrier,which may be of any of the well-known forms and so supported at thebottom and the top of the carrier-frame as to readily convey strawupward and outward when it is in action.

15 indicates a rope which serves to support the stacker in workingposition, and also operates to assist in the easy, and practicallyautomatic, folding of the stacker frame. There are preferably two ofthese ropes, one extending to either side of the stacker, though asingle rope extending to a support or attachment at the center of thestacker transversely would be a practical though less advantageousconstruction.

One end of the rope l5 is shown as being secured to a winding device,such as a shaft 27, and from its connection or support on the frame 10the rope extends directly to a connection or support carried by theouter section of the stacker-frame.

18 designates a rod, bracket or frame carried by the outer section, andto which, at 19, the rope has attachment. It will be observed that thisrod or frame 18 extends upward from the outer section of the stackerwhich carries it, and that the point of attachment or connection withthe rope 15 is in the vertical plane of the hinge 14C, or preferably ina plane a little outside of the hinge.

I do not wish to limit my invention to a construction in which the outerend of each rope 15 is securely attached to the rod or frame 1S, asillustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, because the IOO rope might be made to passthrough an eye, situated at 19, and extend thence to an eye 2S on theframe for the section 13, situated beyond its hinged end and representedin Fig.

I prefer to arrange a swinging frame 33, provided with a pulley 32 abovethe windingshaft 27 and to carry the rope 15 from the shaft 21, over thepulley before it passes to the outer stacker-section, as this gives ahigher point of attachmeilt for the rope than can be found on anypermanent part of the supporting-frame when such frame is the rear endof a thrashing and separating machine. rl`his frame may be folded downupon the top of the thrasher, as indicated in Fig. 2, when the stackeris folded in the position for translriortation or storage.

In a straw-stacker the parts of which are disposed as described and asis illust-rated in the drawings accompanying this specification the ropeor ropes 15 sustain the stackerframe in working position when the twosec tions are brought into line with each other, and the inclination ofthe stacker can be varied, the whole turning about the pivot 26 bywinding in or letting out more or less of the rope, the shaft 27 beingprovided with suitable winding devices; but when it becomes desirable tofold the stacker it is in nowise necessary, and in fact is veryundesirable, to operate the winding devices or to change the lengt-h ofthe rope-section between its support upon the frame 10, as at 32, andits support or attachment upon the stacker-section 13, as at 19.

The parts of my invention are so arranged that the operator has only tobreak the joint where the two stacker-sections are connected and movethe sections slightly out of line with each other, independent of anymovement of the rope, when the weight of the outer sec tion will comeinto play and operatie to cause an automatic folding of the sectionsinto nearly a complete folded position.

The point of rope connection 19 bears such relationship to the hinge 14that when the stacker is in working position the two sections 12 and 13are in stable equilibrium so long as supported by the rope. The range ofstable equilibrium of the two stacker-sections relative to each otheris, however, comparatively small, so that when the operator by exertinga downward pull upon the stackerframe adjacent to the hinge 14 moves thesections from out of their locked relationship to each other this bringsthe parts into such positions that the gravity of the outer sectionassists in aud largely causes the folding of the frame from the positionindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 to that indicated in dotted lines inFig. 2, where the outer section, 13, is shown as resting upon thesupporting-frame l0. \Vhile the stacker is being thus folded the rope 15at all times resists the tendency of the outer section to drop forcibly.The position of the point of rope connection or attachment 19 has suchrelation to the parts of the stacker and the position of the pointofrope attachment on the frame 10 that during the time that the outer endof the outer sec tion in its folding movement is moving inward aroundits hinge from an upright or vertical position the bearing or attachmentpoint 19 crosses the line connecting the hinge 14 and the point of ropeattachment or bearing on the supportingframe, and thereafter, in thefurther folding of the frame, the draft of the rope is exerted upon theouter section (considered by itself with respect to its axis or hinge at14) in the opposite direction from that in which it acted before thesection attains such upright or vertical position, although the draft ofthe rope, with respect. to the elevator as a whole, is the samecontinuously-that is to say, it sustains the elevator upon the hinge 2G.Hence it follows that the outer section, 13, can be folded from its vertical position to a position resting upon the supportingframe withoutdanger, easily and almost automatically, and without changing the lengthof the amount of rope 15 which is in operation.

The stacker or carrier frame is brought into its final or completefolded position (represented in full lines in Fig. 2) either by windingin the rope 15 or by pushing the frame inward from the under side of thesection 12.

lt will be understood that the weight of the outer section ope lates topermit the sections to be unfolded or moved into their working positionwith practically the same ease4 that these parts are folded up, and thatwhen the sections are being unfolded the rope 15 does not have to be letout or wound up. l

I do not in this application make claim broadly to a straw-stackerformed with two sections hinged together anda rope connected to theouter section and arranged to support the sections in workin g position,the rope having such connection with the outer section that thestakcr-frame may be folded or unfolded without requiring anylengthening' or shortening of the supporting-rope during the folding orunfolding operation, as such a straw-stacker forms the subject-matter ofand is claimed in my application, Serial No. 506,133, iiled April 2,1894, of which application this is a division.

llaving thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Pat ent, is-

1. The combination with a supportingframe, of a stacker or carrier framehinged to the supporting-frame and formed of two sections hingedtogether, substantially as described to permit the outer section to foldupward relatively to the inner, a frame carried by the outer section andextending upward therefrom to a position substantially in the verticalplane of the hinge which unites the sections,and a rope for supportingthe stackcrframe secured at one end upon the supporting-frame, andhaving its other end securely IOO IIC)

attached to the said upward-projecting frame at a point substantiallyabove the hinge of the outer section,'substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a supportingframe, of a carrier-frame hinged tothe supporting-frame and formed with two sections hinged together, aframe carried by the outer section of the carrier-frame and projectingupward therefrom, and a rope connected with the said frame and alsohaving attachment on the supporting-frame, the said frame carried by theouter section of the carrier being so disposed that the point where therope is attached thereto crosses the line connecting the hinge of theouter section and the point of attachment for the rope on the mainframe, during the time that the outer end of said outer section ismoving around said hinge from its vertical position to its innermostposition, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. The combination with a supportingframe, of a carrier-frame hingedthereto and formed in two sections which are hinged to each other, thesaid hinge being so disposed as to permit the outer section to swingupward relative to the inner section, anda rope for supporting thecarrier-frame having attachment to the supporting-frame and extendingthence, independentlyT of the inner carrier-section, to thesupporting-frame and secured to the outer section in or nearly in thevertical plane of the aforesaid hinge, substantially as set forth.

eL. The combination with a supportingframe, of the carrier-frame hingedthereto,

- and having two sections hinged to each other,

the hinge uniting the said sections being disposed so as to permit theouter section to swing upward relative to the inner section, abutmentsbelow the said hinge, a rod or frame, 18, extending upward from theouter section andthe rope having attachment on the supporting-frame, andon the said rod or frame, 1S, at a point in or nearly in the verticalplane of the hinge of the outer section, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the supportingframe, of the carrier-frame hingedto the supporting-frame and having two sections hinged together, thehinge uniting the two sections permitting the outer section to foldupward relative to the inner section, a rod or frame, 18, carried by theouter section adjacent to the hinge, the rope for supporting thecarrierframe secured to the said rod or frame, the rope-winding devicesarranged upon the supporting-frame and the swinging frame arrangedadjacent to the rope-winding devices and provided with a bearing orattachment for the rope, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with a supportingframe, of a carrier-frame hinged tothe supporting-frame, and formed with two sections which are hingedtogether, a rope for supporting the carrier-frame having attachment tothe supporting-frame, and a frame or bar secured to the outer sectionnear its inner end and having the rope secured thereto, the point ofattachment of the rope being arranged to swing about the hinge whichunites the two carrier-frame sections from a point in a horizontal planeabove the said hinge to a point in a horizontal plane below the saidhinge, whereby the rope, without being lengthened, can lie in a lineabove the hinge and also in a line below the hinge while sustaining theweight of the carrier-frame, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with a supportingframe, of a carrier-frame hingedthereto and formed of two sections hinged to each other, substantiallyas described to permit the outer section to fold upward relatively tothe inn er, a rope for supporting the carrier-frame in working positionconnecting with the supporting -frame and the outer section of thecarrier-frame, and an upward-extending bar or frame carried by the outersection of the carrier-frame and connected with the said rope andarranged to carry the rope downward as the upper section is being movedupward upon its hinge, substantially as set forth.

JOHN B. BARTHOLOMEV.

Titnesses J. L. McKITrRIoK, H. H. BLISS.

